Question
One of my Koi disappeared yesterday my friend told me.  He said there's only 3 left.  I went to check and there was a huge bird carrying one off.  Ifound it and it is dead.  Another very large koi about 2' long was injured.  I can see cuts on his back.  What can I do to save him?  I'm very upset as you can imagine.  Now I only have the black koi and an orange one.  I've put screening in place but can my koi be saved?  Please help.

Answer
Dear Sherry,

Sorry to hear this news. The birds are indeed one of the most common predators for koi together with cats.
When the injury is more flesh wound and not so extremely large the best way to help them is by catching the fish and cleaning the wound thoroughly.
After this you seal the wound with special paste or you can try to use isobetadine.
However do not spray it on the gills or eyes!
I use netting/screen over the ponds and around it I use electrical wiring.
This is the only way to keep them away.
Unfortunately not the most esthetic way.
And yes, birds tend to go fish after the brightest fish first as they are the most visual to them.
When the fish get larger they cannot eat them anymore, however they will still try.
Good luck in handling the wound.

Kind regards,
Raf